|
|
| Dillon Powers |
Dillon Powers
Midfielder
Notre Dame Men's
Soccer
Member of U.S. U-20 World Cup Team
Age started playing soccer: My
dad, Mike Powers, played professionally, so pretty much as soon as I could walk, I was playing soccer.
Years
in AYSO: 4
Favorite AYSO memory: There was one game where our team's goal
was to have every player score and we did! Our coach was really focused on scoring rather than defense, so he wanted us to
go for the goal.
Favorite AYSO coach: My favorite AYSO coach was Coach Oscar. He really
got me to love soccer and started me on the track to thinking I could play professionally.
What advice
would you give a first-time coach? At the younger ages, I think it's really important for a coach to give every
player a chance to play equally - no matter how talented the player is. Players have to have fun or they won't keep playing.
Second, it's important to build team chemistry so the kids want to come to practice and play.
|
| Jonathan Bornstein |
Jonathan Bornstein
Chivas USA, U.S. National Team Defender
Age started playing
soccer: 3 years old. My father was coaching my 5-year-old brother's team and convinced the league to let me join
the team.
Number of years in AYSO: 8 years. I didn't start playing club soccer until
I was 11 or 12 and even then, it was a team formed of AYSO All-Stars.
Favorite coach and why:
My dad. He was my coach in AYSO for a long time. He was always very encouraging and pushed me to be the best player I could
be. How it felt to score the game-tying goal for the U.S. vs. Costa Rica: I couldn't believe it! I just got my head
in there and the ball went in. Just as the goal I scored to win the Turkey Tournament in AYSO was the defining moment of my
childhood soccer career, this goal is - so far - the defining moment of my professional career.
Advice
for parents who coach: Don't scream at your kids. I don't want to be one of those parents who is always screaming
at games. I remember having to tell my dad to stop screaming at me during a game when I was playing at UCLA. It was so embarrassing!
|
| Shannon Boxx |
Shannon Boxx
Midfielder - Los Angeles
Sol
2008 & 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist
NCAA Division I champion (Notre Dame 1995)
Age
started playing soccer: 4
Favorite AYSO memory: Oranges at halftime, parents lined
up on the sidelines to make a tunnel after the game, and Prince's "Purple Rain" blasting on the boombox.
Favorite AYSO coach and why: I don't remember his name, but I do remember he taught us
that real ball skills were more important than tricks to win the ball. I also learned that it was ok to get knocked around
and fall down while playing soccer. You just get back up again!
What advice would you give a first-time
AYSO coach? Make soccer fun for the kids and get them to enjoy it first, then teach them skills. The most important
thing is to have fun on the soccer field; winning is not so important. If you teach the value of teamwork and you instill
that early, that's what's important.
|
| Kristin Graczyk |
Kristin Graczyk
Midfielder/Forward - FC Gold Pride
Age
started playing soccer: 9
Favorite AYSO memory: My younger brother started playing
AYSO and I thought it looked like fun, so I begged my parents to let me play too. It was great...to just play with friends
and have fun.
Favorite coach and why: Scott Stapp. He was my first AYSO coach. He played
everybody on the team and made soccer really fun. He made me love the game.
What makes a great coach?
Coaches today are too into winning. I go to youth games and all I hear are coaches yelling, "You're not dribbling
right!" and "I told you to dribble around the cones and you're not doing that!" That kind of negativity
isn't going to help and just makes little kids want to cry. A good coach shouldn't make her players feel like they're
wrong. Kids need positive reinforcement to enjoy the game and grow into themselves as players.
Positive Coaching is one of the fundamental philosophies of AYSO!
|
| Natasha Kai |
Natasha Kai
SkyBlue FC - Forward
Age started playing soccer:
7
Favorite coach and why: My dad. My parents had no idea about soccer but they let me play. My
dad took the time to teach himself and then put his time into passing it on to me.
What did you love about
AYSO? I could just play. I wasn't someone who played soccer year-round; I only played during soccer season. I
knew if I kept playing all the time, I'd get sick of it. After high school I stopped playing and didn't go to college
right away because I was sick of playing from being drilled and drilled.
Advice for the first-time coaches?
Call my dad...just kidding. Seriously, I would tell them to just learn the game. If you truly love it and want to learn, do
everything in your power to know the ropes in and out. My dad did it and I'm pretty sure anyone else can do it. He was
determined to learn it because he knew I loved it. He did what he did to teach me the ins and outs of soccer and it paid off.
I went to the Olympics, won a gold medal, achieved my dreams and I owe it all to my parents and the other coaches I've
had along the way.
|
| Brian Ching |
Brian Ching
Forward
Houston
Dynamo, U.S. National Team
Member of 2006 World Cup squad, three-time MLS champion
Age started
playing soccer: 7
Number of years in AYSO:
5 years
Favorite coach and why: My mom. She told my brothers and I that we had to play a
sport and suggested soccer. I told her I would play if she coached me. So she did! I remember her reading the AYSO manuals
on the way to work as well as practices. She fell in love with the game and started to play soccer herself in a women's
league.
Memories of AYSO: The friendships I made. I still have friends who were on my first
AYSO team back in Hawaii. The pure excitement and joy of running around and playing soccer with my friends is something I'll
never forget. I was always a competitive kid and I remember crying after every loss. When my mom was coaching me, I remember
her having to console me after every game we lost.
On playing for the U.S. National Team:
Every kid dreams about becoming a professional soccer player and playing for your country. It's the ultimate goal and
the World Cup is the ultimate tournament.
|
| Landon Donovan |
Landon Donovan
Forward
Los Angeles
Galaxy, U.S. National Team
Age started playing soccer: 2
Favorite
AYSO memory: I started playing AYSO when I was 5. Before that, my older brother, Josh, would take me out to the backyard
and kick the ball around with me. My favorite AYSO memory is that I got to play on the same team as my best friend when I
was 8 years old.
What he loved about AYSO: The beauty of AYSO was that you had kids from
all walks of life who just wanted to be active and run around and play soccer. I started playing club soccer at the age of
10 but I wanted to continue playing AYSO because I enjoyed the camaraderie and the ability to just play for the love of playing.
The games were still competitive but they never revolved around winning.
Advice for the first-time
coach: One of my biggest pet peeves is youth team coaches who take winning too seriously. This has always bothered
me, and I always tell coaches to forget about winning with young players. They need to create an environment where the kids
enjoy playing and are developing their soccer skills. Winning should never be a priority.
|
